Scientific name: Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758
Bird group: Bee-eaters
Field characters. 28 cm. Most colourful bird in Western Palearctic. Sexes hard to distinguish. Colour grades from very dark maroon on crown to golden- bronze on rump; tail turquoise, with two central feathers longer than others; underparts turquoise, becoming greener towards vent; lesser and median primary coverts grass-green, secondary coverts warm chestnut, scapulars bright golden, tertials green-blue, greater primary coverts deep turquoise, primaries dark sky-blue with deep gloss; entire wing with terminal black wing-bar; white forehead, pale blue supercilium, broad black eye-stripe (merging with dark maroon crown), sulphur-yellow throat. Female often has greenish wash on (some of) upperparts. Juvenile has less bright colours; back is green-blue, scapulars are greyish, wing-feathers much less brilliant than adult's; tail is pale blue and lacks 'streamers'. Flight characteristic, undulating, with rather variable speed.
Voice. Has a large vocabulary. Most common call is a fluent, lively "pruu pruu".
Distribution. Common summer visitor. Numbers depend on weather conditions: during warm summers, occurs at higher latitudes than usual.
Habitat. Predominantly found in open areas with some trees, river banks, and steppes. Warm temperature is a prerequisite. Digs nesting burrows of up to three metres long in firm ground of vertical cliffs or banks.
Food. Mainly bees and wasps, as common and scientific names suggest; also other insects, caught in flight. Perches whilst spying for prey. If spotted, will take off abruptly in pursuit, capture prey and return to perch, but also hunts while constantly on the wing. Sting of bees and wasps is often removed by rubbing against perch before ingestion.